The use of electronic journals for the dissemination of scholarly information by the University of Natal and the University of Zululand

Abstract

The study investigates the use of electronic journals for the dissemination of scholarly information in the Universities of Natal and Zululand. It attempts to determine the level of use of electronic journals by the scholarly communities, and the perceived impact that these journals have on the community. Similarly, the role played by the academic libraries in the provision of these journals was explored. The scholarly community included the academic staff, the library staff and postgraduate students. A survey research method was used to elicit information from the respondents. The population was sampled using the stratified random sampling technique. A sample of 10% was drawn from the population of 1969 postgraduate students. Regarding the academic staff a sample of 20% was drawn from each stratum. The total population for the academic staff was 557. All professional librarians in the two university libraries were identified and included in the study. Data was analysed by means of the SYSTAT Version 7.0 and Microsoft Excel. The findings indicate that the level of electronic journal use by the two universities is low despite their historical differences in resource support. It is recommended that the academic library should provide facilities where users can access electronic journals on their own. The librarians should also market their services and products to library clientele. There is a need for user education, especially in the use of electronic journals. The study provides interesting insights on the theme.

Influence of the World Wide Web on the citation patterns of Master of Information Studies students at the University of Natal during the period 1996 to 2002

“…The citation behaviour of the MIS students during the period under study was consistent with the conclusions of Mgobozi and Ocholla (2002) and Smith and Oppenheim (2001). Smith and Oppenheim (200 I) observed a continued dependence on monographs in assignments for the year 2000 when 40% of all citations were to book formats.…”

“…Journal use for 2000 was only 29.5% of all citations. On the other hand, Mgobozi and Ocholla (2002) noted the low use of electronic journals by academics, librarians and postgraduates of the universities of Natal and Zululand. The findings were different to the studies by Friedlander (2002), Islam and Panda (2007), and Tenopir and Ennis (2002) which established a preference for consulting Internet resources by researchers as opposed to printed sources in answering reference queries.…”

“…1.1 Access to web resources Central to an investigation of the effect of the Web on students' citation behaviour is obviously the issue of access. Common barriers affecting the level of access, reported in surveys investigating Internet use in African academic environments (Ehikhamenor 2003;Mgobozi and Ocholla 2002;Ocholla 1999;Odero-Musakali and Mutula 2007), include limited physical access, slow connection speeds and poor information and computer literacy skills. Other barriers or enablers that may specifically determine the nature of access, includ~the availability and promotion of information resources, the responsibilities and interventions of supervisors and the nature and expectations of academic programmes (Ocholla 1999;Davis 2003;Urquhart 2003;Rowley 2002).…”

A study on the agricultural research scientists’ knowledge in the use of internet resources

“…According to Nicholas, Williams, Rowlands, and Jamali (2010), electronic resources have made a tremendous impact on the research productivity of scholars in the United Kingdom, a view common in developed countries. In Africa, Mgobozi and Ocholla (2002) conducted a comparative study to investigate the relationship between the use of electronic journals by academic staff at the University of Natal and the University of Zululand in South Africa and their research productivity. According to the study, about 29% indicated a correlation whereas 13% indicated no correlation and others were undecided.…”

Exploring network literacy among students of St. Joseph's Theological Institute in South Africa

“…Ten (41.7%) pointed to the unavailability of computers with Internet facilities. Inadequate provision of computers with Internet facilities and the slow speed of computers were identified by past research as the reasons why students in an African academic environment were not using the Internet effectively (Ehikhamenor, 2003;Luambano and Nawe, 2004;Mgobozi and Ocholla, 2002;Mishra, Yadav and Kamini, 2005;Odero-Musakali and Mutula, 2007;Ojedokun, 200 I).…”